Post College Disillusionment - a rant

[Snapple]

Be an engineer, we are the sh*t...here's why:

there are many diverse types of engineering that focus on anything from chemistry to biology to mechanics to computer programming

we are always in demand as there is always a shortage (much like there is always a shortage of doctors)

engineering jobs pay well, even right out of uni

very interesting jobs...i'm in systems and control engineering and last year the US military recruited a lot of engineers from this field to work at air force bases to design new missle weapon systems

we f*cking build the world



Now here are the downsides:

Its hard, like really hard...you have to be interested in this stuff, if you have your heart set on philosophy or painting and you want to do an engineering major just to make a lot of money, forget it, if you're going to spend money on college, make sure you learn about something you LOVE. If you want to go to college only because mom and dad said it was a good idea I would suggest you rethink it, but if you're just stuck for a major and are open to suggestions, read up on the different types of engineering.

Engineering is mostly guys, in fact, it's almost all guys i've found, and to say a lot of them are afcs would be a great understatement. The most girls in the field seem to be in the less math oriented majors like biomedical and chemical engineering. Seriously though, if you are shelling out that kind of money for college, the dumbest thing you could do (just lower than choosing a major for money) would be to choose a major for girls.

If you want to get a high quality engineering education you need to go to an engineering geared school. I'm not talking about one thats 90% guys, just one that's known for a great program. This means that plenty of state schools are off the list. I've also heard these type of schools tend to be more expensive but I don't know this for sure.

 

[PeterNorthisawesome]

So how much do engineers make? I read somewhere that they make around 60-80 K, which is pretty good. I heard that a lot of women are in civil engineering. I'm looking for something that's over 200 k... guess I'll have to start my own business.

 

[Teflon_Mcgee]

So how much do engineers make? I read somewhere that they make around 60-80 K, which is pretty good. I heard that a lot of women are in civil engineering. I'm looking for something that's over 200 k... guess I'll have to start my own business.

60 to 80k is pretty standard with te top 10% making well into 6 figures.

Highest paying job I seen wa $175k.

I know a guy who just gaduated from a state uni and got his first job at 70k (with a 10% annual bonus).

these, BTW, are for electrical eng. but it's pretty similar for all engineers.

 

[TurboLover]

Mechanical Engineer here, had a job waiting a couple months before graduation designing motorcycles.

Pretty much everyone I know from classes found a job pretty easy.

As for college, it was a pretty good investment for me. What I make in 5 months paid for all my college expenses.

I don't see college as a scam, but as an investment, in which has paid out many times over for me and will continue to do so. All while doing something I love. And what I learn in the field will help when I decide to go out and do things for myself.

M.E. is not easy though, only 1/3 of the people who started at my school finish the major. So do it if you like this stuff. My motivation was cars, I wanted to be the guy who designs the parts, not put them on, but motorcycles will do.

:rockon:

 

[BearsFan4Life]

I have an associates degree in criminal justice. I made the president's list or dean's list every semester. I got that in 2002. It never earned an extra dime for me. I still don't have a bachelors degree, though I'm taking a class or 2 per semester to get one. I'm 20 credit hours from it.

I'm making more money now than I ever have in my life ($50k+) and its because I took initiative. I went out and made it happen. I'm making it happen every day. I'm in sales and I've never been happier. This year I'll make nearly double the most money I've ever earned in my life.

I've got a fantastic group of friends all in the same business. We all work under the same umbrella company and we all push each other every day to be better at everything in life, not just sales.

If you're the best person in your group of friends, perhaps its time to branch out and find people better than you?

I had a debate with this b!tch a while back about college and life and it went something like this (she was trying really hard to neg hit me):

Her: You don't have a degree from a university so you'll never amount to anything.
Me: How are a group of people that essentially don't have real jobs (teachers) going to teach you how to get a real job?
Her: Thats what they do and they're good at it.
Me: So it makes sense to you to pay people $25,000 a year with interest to learn how to possibly make double that IF you can find a job in that field.
Her: Name calling, hurling insults (she knew she was losing)
Me: (laughing) What makes you think an employer is going to hire someone with zero experience and a peice of paper vs. someone with some experience.
Her: BearsFan4Life, you're a loser.
Me: (laughing harder now) My net pay for the day (made $375 that day) is more than you're going to gross this week, you live at home with your mommy, you're a part time bank teller with almost 6 figures in debt and I'm the loser?
I hung up after that.

There is a good lesson in that story, but unfortunately for her, she'll never understand because she bit on every part of society's brainwashing.

Attitude, confidence and persistance will get you farther than any crappy little peice of paper regardless of what kind of fancy name it has at the top of it.


To quote one of my favorite hip-hopers from the X-Clan:

"...It don't take a big four year college
To learn what it takes to put paper in your wallet
Common sense yo, act like you got..."

 

[TooColdUlrick]

Sorry, maybe I didn't make myself clear, but I'm looking for advice from people who know what they're talking about.

attraction, it's real easy to shoot your mouth off when you're still in the safety of still being in college. You haven't had to join the real world yet, so any minor victory (like getting a project) is a point in your favor, but when you DON'T have a project it doesn't count against you because you're still in school. The game your playing can't be lost. And it doesn't apply to people in the real world.

What I started this thread for is the guys who have liberal arts degrees that found a way to work it in their favor. Maybe show some things that I haven't thought of yet to turn the tables in my favor. How do you make the degree marketable to potential employers on a resume? stuff like that.

Arguing against me ever having GOTTEN the degree is pointless, and outside the scope of this thread. As is arguing about what someone COULD have majored in.

your liberal arts degree is not marketable. that's the first thing you must realize. YOU are marketable. how are YOU going to make your future employer rich? if you play your cards right, then it will be your turn...that is, others like you making YOU rich.

that's the way it works.

 

[spesmilitis]

Engineering is mostly guys, in fact, it's almost all guys i've found, and to say a lot of them are afcs would be a great understatement. The most girls in the field seem to be in the less math oriented majors like biomedical and chemical engineering. Seriously though, if you are shelling out that kind of money for college, the dumbest thing you could do (just lower than choosing a major for money) would be to choose a major for girls.

QUOTE]


I don't see why chemical or biomedical engineering would require any less math than electrical or mechanical. There were differential equations everywhere through my undergrad. Chemical engineering did have the most girls though.

One reason why engineers make so much money is cuz we have to work hard to get the degree. With the arts degree, you only work as hard as you want to. It doesn't take much to get really good grades in a liberal arts program. However, the reason why they have that extra time is that they can spend it getting real life experience. Every liberal arts person I knew in college that is or is going to be successful worked their ass off on activities outside of classes. Theirs no way around it: you need to work hard to be successful.

 

[Latinoman]

I graduated from college a few months back with a liberal arts degree. Turns out it's near impossible to get a job with it.

When I was still a Junior in college...I was getting jobs and interviews offers. But then again, I went to Engineering school and had over 3.0 GPA.

Do not come in here in disdain after having a BA on "liberal arts". If you have a BA on "liberal arts" and if you didn't do COOP or work during the summer and instead PARTY thinking that a BA on "liberal arts" was going to be the ticket to a good job...then you wasted your time. Go get your Masters or a PhD.

BA or BS are great on science and engineering or even accounting...because a LICENSE (taken via a test) can fix things up.

 

[synergy1]

I don't see why chemical or biomedical engineering would require any less math than electrical or mechanical. There were differential equations everywhere through my undergrad. Chemical engineering did have the most girls though.

One reason why engineers make so much money is cuz we have to work hard to get the degree. With the arts degree, you only work as hard as you want to. It doesn't take much to get really good grades in a liberal arts program. However, the reason why they have that extra time is that they can spend it getting real life experience. Every liberal arts person I knew in college that is or is going to be successful worked their ass off on activities outside of classes. Theirs no way around it: you need to work hard to be successful.

Engineers make more money for the same reason athletes make the most money; fewer can do what they can do. As you know, if you went through an engineering program, the workload can really push one to their limits. Engineering is unlike most majors in few respects. The differential equations, Navier stokes equations, Force bending moment diagrams, and everything else we learn are just techniques that need to be used for any problem that exists. Some folks can cough up solutions to problems, but have very little creative thinking when presented a problem that needs a solution. The real genius of engineering comes when someone is properly able to apply things they know, or learn things they dont know to solve a problem.

I work with engineers, and the 90% guys thing holds. The trend that most are chumps also holds. There is one guy at my work that is like the 45 year old virgin. He goes from phone to phone in the company and calls his "girlfriend" -- or girl he calls a girlfriend. The nice thing about all this is that for normal guys with some game, the competition is 0.

anyone ever throw up a little when you see a genuine cuttie at work get her ass kissed by desperate 40 year old ugly men? Sorry for derailing the thread

 

[Latinoman]

If your dad works for continental he's in a much better position than I (assuming he's been with the company for a number of years). Their top off pay is a lot higher than mine (I work for a contract company owned by Delta that is slowly taking over the ramp service for most airlines because they can do the same job for half the cost. However, Continental is one of (maybe the only) non-low price carrier that hasn't filed bankruptcy, though my company is still slowly taking over many of their smaller stations).

I make about 22 a year, whereas the guys who do my exact same job at my airport (BNA - or, Nashville, TN) working for southwest make 60 grand. Your dad probably works at an airport where Continental has a sizeable presence, because a lot of the smaller to mid size airports where continental has only a modest presence (especially stations where they mainly operate regional jets and few, if any, mainline aircraft) have been taken over by contract companies. I actually spent 2 years on a Continental contract in Charleston, SC. It's one of my favorite airlines.

In general, I'm trying to get out of the airline business because it's so unstable and they're lowering costs primarily by reducing labor costs. However, the free flights are a great benefit. They make staying in touch with friends who live far away so much easier.

I singled you out because I've read enough of your posts to know it'd take more than that to bother you. I graduated with a 3.1. I actually have been offered interviews for really promising jobs out of town, but Nashville is where I'm going to stay. I'm a musician, and making music for a living is what I'd love to do with my life more than anything else (so, obviously, I spend a lot of time working that front), so leaving town is out of the question.

It's not that I expected to have every decent job chomping at the bit to get at me, but I did expect to have at least a handful of decent interviews seven months after graduation (I graduated in december, btw).

My standards aren't THAT high. Basically what I'm looking for is something that starts about 30 grand that has room for advancement and is not sales or customer service. Not something I foresaw as being something that would be THAT hard to come by for a smart guy.

Let me get this straight. You got a degree in Liberal Arts. You work in a job making $22k a year…a job that other people in other cities are making 3 times more than you in Nashville. You have been offered interviews with good companies, but you don’t want to interview with them because it will take you out of Nashville.

So tell me…how can you expect to make $$$ or find good jobs in a city that is literally paying 3 times LESS for the same type of jobs than anywhere else.

If you knew you wanted to stay in Nashville ALL YOUR LIFE…why did you wasted your time going for a degree in Liberal Arts?

You guys sometimes amaze me…and with you guys, I mean you young guys in this Country.

 

[Sandow]

College is definitely overated. I graduated from a top 50 University and yet I still find myself working with other employees that don't even have a degree. What I found out is that experience seems to be far more important to employers. However, grad school is very rewarding. Getting an undergrad degree is like the sacrifice you do before grad school, it won't get you anywhere but it's the stepping stone to a Masters, which can be financially rewarding.